


We Work

by lazarusthefirst



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Barebacking, Drowning, First Kiss, First everything else, M/M, Near-Death Experience, sneaky blowjobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-31
Updated: 2013-04-23
Packaged: 2017-12-07 02:27:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/743113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazarusthefirst/pseuds/lazarusthefirst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Does what it says on the tin. Danny and Steve know each other too well to ignore what their bodies want from each other. Four-part escalation</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've opened up a massive can of phallic-shaped worms for myself with this pairing

After they’d been waiting for an hour in the graveyard for the priest to arrive and bless their entry, people were beginning to get shifty. Kono and Chin in particular were distinctly uncomfortable being even this close, and kept disappearing off to make phone calls or get coffee.

Steve had felt bad calling Danny away; he knew he liked to spend holidays with Grace, because those were the times she remembered best. Danny was scrolling through apartments on his phone with a little crease on his forehead, and Steve worried that he between Grace and the apartment hunt, his partner was stressing himself out too much.

Danny’s phone rang, and the crease smoothed out as he rolled his eyes and sighed at the caller ID. ‘Here we go,’ he muttered, answering. ‘Rachel, darling, your dulcet tones are the perfect addition to this stellar evening.’

Steve’s face twitched in sympathy as he heard Rachel’s snappy reply.

‘Yes, I know you had a dinner tonight, but what was I supposed to do? I have a job, it’s called solving crimes, saving lives – what, do you think I’d rather be here then with my daughter who I get to see once a week if I’m lucky? How bout you just be thankful Rachel - ’

Danny started to automatically wander away back towards the tree line – his usual response to a Rachel phone call was to retreat until no one could hear him get served by the woman he still couldn’t get over. Steve hated seeing him just taking it from Rachel, but knew no matter how sarcastic and scathing his replies, he would always admit defeat and apologize to her. Because Rachel had Grace, and Grace came first, like always.

Steve glanced around quickly – there were enough agents lurking around, and the priest was still en route. He made his way towards the tree line where Danny had disappeared, hoping to raise his partner’s spirits before they went into the crime scene.

Danny was a little way in, and Steve’s heart dropped as he took in his posture. Danny was leaning against a tree, shoulders slumped, scuffing a little patch of weeds with his foot, distractedly. His hand was shoved in his pocket and he was just nodding along to whatever Rachel was saying.

‘Uh huh … yes, I will … I know. I know I am – thank you. Ok … is she there? … Oh, ok. Just … just tell her Danno loves – hello? Rachel ’ Danny sighed quietly, and let his hand fall to his side.

Steve couldn’t help but smile slightly. Danny’s determination and resilience always impressed him.

‘You ok?’ he asked, from a safe distance – depending on his mood, Danny could take his input the wrong way.

‘No,’ he said, teeth gritted. ‘I’m never gonna be ok with this goddamn arrangement, Steve.’

‘I know it’s hard, man,’ Steve began, taking heart when Danny didn’t respond. ‘And I’m real sorry I had to call you out tonight. But this is a weird one and I need my best people on this.’

Danny huffed a laugh softly. ‘’S’ok,’ he said quietly. ‘Grace was happy to go. And it ain’t like I’ve got anyone waiting at home for me. Might as well be here.’

Steve grinned. ‘Aw, come on. Don’t be like that. You just need to get back in the game.’

Danny pushed himself off the tree – Steve’s eyes flickered to where his back arched under the thin material of his shirt – and rolled his shoulders. ‘Yeah, that’s true,’ he mused. Steve detected the usual hint of Danny-brand sarcasm underneath his tone, and his lips twitched.

‘I mean,’ continued Danny, ‘who wouldn’t wanna date a detective who gets called out at all hours, day and night, and spends all of his free time apartment hunting or with playing dress up with his nine year old daughter?’

‘Yeah, see, what did I tell ya? You’re a catch, babe,’ Steve remarked, winking.

Danny grinned and ducked his head. ‘Thank you Steven,’ he said, in mock politeness. He moved to walk past him, but Steve, seized by a mad impulse, put a hand on his chest to stop him. Pushing him back slightly, he was hyper-aware of the tips of his fingers brushing off skin – Danny wore his shirts open necked these days.

‘Hey,’ he said, automatically angling his body sideways, along the curve of Danny’s, who looked surprised at the sudden shift in mood. ‘Don’t be so tough on yourself.’

The heat was very close between the trees, and Steve could smell Danny’s aftershave and mint on his breath.

The thought that Danny would take this the wrong way never even occurred to Steve. Danny often had trouble following Steve’s train of thought when his law-breaking streak ran wild on a case, but with important things, like each other’s behavior, they were, as usual, right on the same page.

Danny tilted his head back slightly to look at him – his eyes triggered something in Steve, and once again he felt like he’d been missing Danny his whole life, and had just found him again, after searching for so long. 

‘I appreciate that, Steve,’ Danny said, and Steve’s heart kicked him in the chest when he slid his hand up to rest over Steve’s. ‘You know I do, right?’

Steve smiled and lowered his gaze, moving himself just a little closer to Danny, who raised his eyebrows slightly, but Steve could see the beginnings of a smile curving his dry lips that Steve had been fantasizing about licking pretty much since day one.

‘And you know,’ he said, glancing up, ‘that I mean every word, don’t you.’

It was not a question. Danny held his gaze for a moment, and then looked down at where their hands were resting on his chest. Slowly, he laced his fingers through Steve’s, his index finger rubbing Steve’s softly, comfortingly, even though Steve’s heart was beating far too fast for this situation.

Steve could hardly believe what was happening when Danny took his hand from where it was pressed, and held it to his own face, slowly, hesitantly. Steve’s eyes widened, and his breathing increased, just a little, but Danny heard it. Keeping his eyes fixed on Steve’s, he turned his head slightly, exposing his neck – Steve couldn’t help his eyes flickering to it, and he swallowed audibly – and pressed his lips to Steve’s palm, eyes slipping shut at the moment of contact.

Steve nearly lost it. Out of everything he’d been trained for, he had _not_ been trained for this.

He didn’t want to ruin the moment, but his body wasn’t fucking listening, as usual. His hand was already on Danny’s face – he was so close, and it only took the shortest of moments to duck in, pulling Danny’s face just a little so that the distance was even smaller, the heat close between them, his hand shaking ever so slightly, pressed to his partner’s stubble, rough under his fingers, as their lips pressed together, and Steve found out exactly the height difference between them.

Danny didn’t act surprised, or recoil – the bastard knew exactly how Steve’s body had been reacting, this whole time. His hand slid away from where it covered Steve’s, and when Steve felt them clutch at his hips he surged forward, deepening the kiss, letting Danny pull him forward and bump their bodies together gently. The sheer incredibleness of the situation, combined with the fact that Steve’s brain was going into meltdown as he finally got to taste Danny and feel his heartbeat between their clothes, was driving him absolutely wild. Their lips slid over one another’s with almost a practiced ease; they were so used to arguing with each other that they already knew there the other would go, how they would move. Every line and curve of Danny was pressed up against his body, and he got his hands into Danny’s hair, desperate to pull him closer.

The heat was building in what little space there was between them. Their hands were moving, grasping, pulling, and their mouths were opening, tongues exploring, teeth clicking as they tried things out and got in each other’s way. Steve ran his tongue over Danny’s lips, who tightened his fingers in response, grinding his crotch against Steve’s. He bit Steve’s lip, pulling on it ever so slightly; the pain lit Steve on fire, and he groaned deep in the back of his throat.

‘Knew you liked it like that,’ breathed Danny into his mouth, and Steve made a little _uhhh_ noise, a gasp that escaped from him completely unwillingly. Danny was like a fucking aphrodisiac for him, making every part of him feel electrocuted. He fucking craved him.

He drew back, holding Danny’s face between his hands. Danny was leaning into him, hands moving around his waist and creeping under his shirt, but he met Steve’s wild gaze evenly. There was a fire in Danny’s eyes that burned with a steady, unwavering light, and it flared when he looked at Steve.

‘You have no idea,’ he said shakily, ‘how you affect me. You make me human, Danny.’

Danny’s eyes were all the warmth he’d ever need. He smiled, and pressed his lips to Steve’s again, holding him.

‘You idiot,’ he murmured, as they breathed each other in. ‘You know I’m good for you. You always knew. We _work_ , Steve.’

Their bodies seemed to click together, and Steve was drawn like a magnet again, wanting to taste every inch of him. They kissed softly, Danny holding him back, just for a second, and then deepening it himself, and Steve allowed himself to unravel, to just let go and _cling_ to what he wanted. He didn’t let his walls down, because his walls were always down when it came to Danny.

His hands tightened on Danny’s body. Mine, he thought, as he kissed him, feeling his hands slipping under his shirt again. He jumped at the touch; the intimacy was so surreal, and he surprised himself again. He wanted more, he wanted every single part of him to be touched, licked, kissed, and fucked by this man.

Danny moved with him, biting his lip again and making all the right noises. As Steve allowed him to pull him to the ground, their limbs wrapping around each other, their movements becoming faster, more frantic, he had to admit that yeah, they fucking did work. Oh man, did they work. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a couple of days later, and with Steve giving nothing but radio silence, Danny starts to wonder if he imagined the whole thing

The case rushed through the next few days; they were all under enormous pressure due to the time sensitivity of some of the evidence, and an informant who rabbited before they could question him. Danny barely had a chance to talk to Steve about anything non-work related, and despite feeling his eyes upon him several times, he was rather worried that Steve regretted the entire thing and was using the case to avoid anything in the neighbourhood of intimate.

When they finally made an arrest, Steve and Kono took the suspect back to 5-0 to question him, while Danny and Chin headed down to HPD to return some borrowed files. He left Chin there, reminiscing with an old buddy from the force, and was just about to head straight home, exhausted, when he got a call from Kono.

‘Hey, you guys done already?’ he asked, clicking his seatbelt in and thinking longingly about the cold beer in his crappy fridge that would make sitting on his hard couch a little more relaxing.

‘No,’ replied Kono; she sounded strained. ‘Boss is having trouble with Kamaka. He says he won’t talk unless he gets a look at the pig who dislocated his shoulder – his words, not mine.’

Danny frowned. ‘Thought that was Steve?’

‘Nope. Kamaka says it was you. Better get down here Danny, the Governor wants this guy processed ASAP and they need his statement.’

Danny suppressed a sigh. ‘Ok, I’m on my way.’

He was too tired to deal with Kamaka’s face again. They’d been tracking this guy for over 16 hours all across Oahu, and Danny had been in no mood to argue when he and Steve had spotted him ducking into a tattoo parlor. They’d trashed the place, and broke a few doors; Kamaka was huge, and it had taken both him and Steve to bring him down without guns. They needed him alive and cooperative – so far, they had him halfway.

He badged his way through the roadblocks that were still in place for one of Kamaka’s associate, and by the time he got to 5-0, he was ready to punch him straight in his overly tan face.

‘Hey,’ Kono greeted him, as he pushed through the doors. ‘McGarrett’s in back with Kamaka. I was gonna go meet Chin and Lori for drinks, but if you want help…?’

‘Nah, it’s fine Kono. Go, have fun, you deserve it.’

Kono beamed at him. ‘Ok. Come meet us later, yeah?’

‘Yeah,’ Danny agreed half-heartedly. He was not in the mood for talking and socializing right now.

He trailed into the back of the building to the more polite interrogation room, scanning his ID to get through the security doors. When he finally pushed through into where they held the suspect, he was surprised to find Steve in there alone, using a towel to wipe what looked like blood off of his hands.

‘Woah,’ he said, raising his hands, ‘did I wander into the Guantanamo section of HQ, or…?’

Steve rolled his eyes and smirked at him, tossing the towel on the table behind him, where a stack of files lay, looking well-thumbed. ‘Nah, nothing so dramatic, Danny. It’s ink – my pen leaked.’

Danny raised his eyebrows, and looked over at the files again. ‘You mean you’ve done the paperwork? Already? In here?’

Steve shrugged. ‘Yeah. Kamaka caved in like five minutes, I had nothing better to do after HPD took him away. Shoulda been here, bro, it was so rewarding to see the guy break down when I told him about the mandatory bitch-ink you get in federal prison, turns out the guy had a fear of needles - ’

Danny cut him off, feeling pissed. ‘Steve, Kono called me – she said the guy was asking for me, that you needed me to get his statement?’

‘Yeah, I needed you,’ Steve said, folding his arms. ‘Just not for that.’

Danny was feeling distinctly at sea. ‘So … why didn’t you just call my cell and ask me to come in?’

‘Because you’ve been avoiding me,’ said Steve, narrowing his gaze. ‘And I knew you would have made an excuse, said you were home already, or that you had Grace, and could it wait until tomorrow, and then tomorrow would come and you’d distract me with the case, or something else.’ Steve shrugged. ‘I know you too well, man.’

Danny put his hands in his pockets so Steve wouldn’t see that he’d balled them into fists.

‘I’ve been avoiding you?’ he said, anger barely controlled in his voice. ‘Oh, _I’ve_ been ignoring – that’s nice, Steve, that’s real nice, you know – _I’ve_ only been the one trying to give you some space, ok? Staying focused on the case, and you – you’ve been only too happy to take that from me. Three hours we were parked outside that shrimp joint – not _once_ did you mention _anything -_ ’

‘Hey, hey!’ interrupted Steve angrily. ‘And what were you waiting for, a written invitation? I started the god damn thing, the least you could do is show me that I wasn’t totally off base - ’

‘The least _I_ could do? What did you want me to do, bring it up in the Governor’s office? Give Kono and Chin an earful over the comms?’

They were circling each other now, almost unaware of their own movements, but totally focused on each other’s.

‘All I wanted,’ growled Steve, ‘was a little reciprocation. Ok? Is that too much to ask for? Just a little, “Hey Steve, hope you’re not lying awake at night killing yourself over possibly ruining the best friendship you’ve ever had cos I won’t open my stupid mouth and tell you that you haven’t”.’

‘Why’s it gotta be me?’ argued Danny. ‘Did I not do enough - ?’

‘Do _enough -_?’

‘Yeah, the first time!’

‘Yes!’ exploded Steve, throwing his hands up. ‘Yes, Danny, you did! You did – everything I could have imagined. Everything I’ve _been_ imagining. And I just – I just wanted to know if I didn’t imagine that whole thing in the woods too.’

Steve seemed to run out of steam abruptly; his hands fell loose at his side, and he seemed to deflate slightly. He blinked a few times, like he couldn’t believe he’d just said all of that, but remained silent.

Danny felt winded. He’d never seen looking so goddamn vulnerable before. It was kind of scary.

But also insanely hot.

For about ten seconds, their breathing was the only sound in the room. That was about as long as it took for Danny to make up his mind, take three quick steps and kiss Steve right on his stupid shocked mouth.

Steve didn’t need more than a second to regain consciousness – his body burst to life. He grabbed Danny around the waist and pulled him closer, mouth moving with urgency, tonguing his way past Danny’s lips in a way that Danny would love to tease him about, were it not for the fact that Steve’s hands were groping way further south than Danny was used to; he tried very hard not to let his body react to the electrocution-effect Steve had on every fucking inch of his skin, but it was hard.

Speaking of hard –

Danny made a little ‘mmmff’ of surprise when Steve grinded their crotches together and he felt him – shit, he felt big. Danny had his hands fisted in Steve’s hair and didn’t really feel like breaking the kiss, or doing anything ever again that wasn’t kissing Steve, otherwise he would attempted to feel embarrassed about the fact that he had a boner for his partner.

It wouldn’t be the first time, but it was the first time Steve had actually been present, so there was that.

Steve was now very busy with belt buckles and gun belts; both sets went clattering to the floor before Danny could register what was about to happen.

Steve spun them around and pushed him backwards; Danny felt the table behind him, and suddenly found himself perched on it – the papers went flying, neither of them noticed - with a very enthusiastic Steve getting between his legs and _grinding_ , oh god he was so very ready for this, even if it was on a table in the interrogation room, shit he didn’t care if it was on the hood of Kamekona’s shrimp truck, he wanted Steve _now_.

‘We should’a been doing this from day one,’ said Steve, voice muffled in Danny’s neck, where he was biting hot kisses into his skin, each one going directly to Danny’s cock.

Danny bit his lip as Steve pushed him further back on to the table, and tried not to groan.

‘I tried but – _fuck_ – you never took the hint, man.’

Steve chuckled darkly against his neck, hands working at Danny’s shirt. Danny was already way ahead of him, fumbling with Steve’s zipper. His own cock was straining in his pants; this was going to get embarrassing if someone didn’t start touching someone else, and fast.

Steve took full advantage of Danny’s now exposed chest; he dragged his hand through his golden chest hair, fingers scraping in a fucking _excruciating_ drag down to his hips, as Steve kissed his way down Danny’s happy trail, pausing briefly just above the line of Danny’s boxers to glance up; Danny met his heated gaze with his own wild one, barely in control of his body anymore. Steve grinned wickedly at him, those fucking amazing eyes just smoldering at him. God, he was such an asshole.

All coherent thought fled from Danny’s mind when Steve’s long fingers pulled his boxers down and let his throbbing cock brush his lips just a little. Danny’s hips jerked at the unexpected contact, but Steve held his thighs firmly.

‘No,’ he said firmly, looking up at Danny again, and Danny rolled his eyes in sheer frustration.

‘Should have known you like to take charge,’ he forced out between gritted teeth. Secretly he was fucking thrilled, but he was in no way letting Steve know that – the fucker already had Danny spread and exposed for him, his cock practically leaking for him. He did not need any more of a fucking ego boost.

Once again, Danny’s argumentative nature flew from sight when Steve’s sinful mouth wrapped itself around the head of Danny’s cock, tongue just flicking the tip delicately, one hand wrapping around the shaft and the other still pinning his thigh. Danny had never felt more vulnerable in his life, half-sitting, half-lying on a table, naked in all the important parts, with Steve McGarrett crouched between his legs and sucking on his cock.

But he was fucked if his body had ever responded more whole-heartedly to anything in his entire life.

‘Oh god,’ he breathed, fingers curling around the edge of the table. ‘Oh my god.’

Steve seemed to take that as encouragement. He slid more of Danny into his mouth, letting his hand move up and down a little; probably guessing from the way he himself liked it. Shit, Danny wouldn’t have cared if he just sat there and let Danny do all the work – Steve’s mouth was so hot and every bit of his presence lit Danny on fire.

Steve made a tiny gagging noise as he took Danny all the way in, mouth stretching, but he handled it like a champ, holding him there for a hot moment, then sliding back up, leaving his cock slick and wet. But that noise drove Danny mad; his body twisted up and his hand shot down, almost automatically – he needed Steve to do that again.

He thought Steve would buck against the force, but when Danny got his hands in Steve’s hair again and pushed a little, he didn’t resist. In fact, he seemed pretty good at following orders, dipping his head and taking all of Danny’s cock again. And that fucking noise he made when he had him all in – oh _god_. Danny’s legs shook, and his hips twitched.

The bastard was doing something fucking incredible with his tongue. It swirled and slid up and down the underside of his shaft, and at first Danny was too preoccupied with not coming like a teenager down Steve’s throat, but then he got it.

‘Are you writing – your fucking _name_ – on my goddamn dick, McGarrett?’

‘Mmff - ’ Steve mumbled, bring his mouth to the head. ‘I love it when you say my name, babe.’

‘You fucker,’ gasped Danny, throwing his head back as Steve dipped his again, and for a few moments he could only moan and babble Steve’s name as his partner went to fucking town on him. Danny didn’t care if he was writing his name or his fucking will, just as long as he kept doing it.

‘Steve – oh god, Steve, I’m close, I’m fucking close man - ’

‘Fuck,’ Steve gasped, and suddenly there he was, all up in Danny’s business again, a wild, burning look in his eyes. ‘I can’t, I need you to touch me Danny, fuck I can’t take it anymore.’

Danny didn’t even need to hear it. His hand was already groping towards Steve, who had pushed him nearly all the way back again. Steve was leaking through his boxers, and once Danny brought his cock out and curled his hand around it, the fucking noise Steve made nearly finished Danny right there.

For a moment they hovered there, shaking and breathing heavily, both holding each other’s cocks, and Danny might have had some sort of moment or out of body experience if he’d cared enough to think any further beyond Steve’s beautiful eyes burning a hole right into his heart

‘You brought me right here, your fucking _voice_ ,’ Steve panted, as their hands moved, jerking each other off like it was life or death. Felt like that for Danny.

‘I am fucking living for you, Steve,’ he breathed, wrapping his free hand around the back of Steve’s neck, pulling him in for a hard, biting kiss; the intimacy was so hot at that moment, when both their bodies were live wires pulled taut, burning for each other. Steve fucked into his hand, pressing their foreheads together, eyes wide open and searing Danny’s gaze, then squeezing shut as he gasped Danny’s name, shuddering and shaking as he came all over Danny’s chest, his other hand leaving finger-shaped bruises on Danny’s shoulder where he was gripping tight enough to hurt.

Danny came almost immediately when he felt Steve’s release; the sheer fucking knowledge that _he’d_ done that to this fierce, composed soldier, made him completely unravel like this, pushed him over the edge. His orgasm crashed into him with the force of a fucking truck, and he gasped and shook in Steve’s arms, breathing hard and fast as they both fell apart for each other.

When Danny opened his eyes and found Steve’s, and knew every part of him was still recovering from Danny’s touch, he felt something shatter like glass inside him, and his heart throbbed almost painfully, making room for one more.

Steve’s lips found his, clumsy with exhaustion, as they lay out fully on the table – they’d gotten there, somehow, Danny had no idea. They kissed, like a confirmation of each other, their limbs settling on one another heavily, like they were always supposed to.

‘I knew it,’ Danny murmured sleepily, Steve’s head resting on the hollow of his collarbone.

Steve made a ‘Hmm?’ noise in his throat that vibrated on Danny’s skin and shit, Danny liked that. He forced himself to answer.

‘I knew it, the moment I met you. I knew you couldn’t be that deliberately antagonistic if you didn’t want me.’

Steve laughed hoarsely. ‘You love it, Danno.’

Knowing exactly _why_ Steve was hoarse almost made Danny’s cock come back to life, but for now, Steve’s arms wrapped around him were the most important thing.

‘Yeah,’ he replied, swallowing heavily. ‘Yeah I do.’

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve realises that he should have nailed Danny when he'd had the chance - and there had been plenty of chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did say this would be the final part didn't I?
> 
>  
> 
> (it was getting away from me and I just wanted to get to them fucking so I cut it off before I could do more damage to the plot and well here you go please stay tuned I"m so sorry)
> 
> ((very minor spoilers for anyone pre-3x03))

When Steve thinks about all the times they could have had sex, he wants to set himself on fire for not just doing it then, so that he wouldn't now be in this fucking situation. Heart in his mouth, he crept through the house, finger on the trigger of his gun, listening desperately for any sign that his partner was still alive.

Ten hours earlier

'Hey, you wanna grab a drink tonight?' Steve asked, poking his head around the door of Danny's office.

  
Danny was at his desk beside a mountain of paperwork, and looked tired. He looked up, cocking an eyebrow. 'Like a date?' he replied, mouth twitching with the barest hint of a teasing smile.

  
Steve resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and stepped inside the office. 'Well, if you want that,' he answered, trying not to sound stupid. 'We don't have to do the whole chick thing, you know. Just go for drinks, maybe dinner, and then, uh … '

  
'Back to your place?' asked Danny casually, glancing down at a form.

  
Steve was sure he'd had a response ready should Danny suggest that, but it died in his throat when certain images started to flicker across his mind at Danny's words.

  
Danny noticed the silence, and glanced up, playing with his pen. 'Or mine, I don't care,' he suggested, seeming a little confused at Steve's hesitance. Danny's apartment sucked. Steve's house was paradise, and the clear choice.

  
Steve attempted to clear his throat, alarmed when it sounded as dry as his mouth felt.

  
'Uh, uh yeah, sure. My place. Ok.' He attempted to slide out the door before this got any more awkward, but Danny was too fast for him. He was out from behind the desk before Steve could even find the door handle.

  
'You're doing the aneurysm face,' Danny said flatly, folding his arms. 'Steven? What's wrong.'

  
'You're paranoid,' Steve said, trying to laugh at him. Danny wasn't fazed.

  
'Doesn't make me wrong,' he pointed out, gently. 'Come on, what's this about? Are you worried about, you know …?'

  
'Am I - no! No, come on Danny, ha ha, no I'm not - I'm not at all.' He was babbling. Steve hugged his body so his arms wouldn't give him away, but it was far too late for that.

  
'Hey, hey,' Danny said, surprised, reaching out and tugging Steve's arms away from himself. Steve was mortified that Danny could see through him so easily. His walls were always down these days. Not good.

  
'You want this, don't you?' Danny asked, a little uncertain. Steve's eyes widened.

  
'Yeah! Yes, Danny - yes. I really do!' They laughed a little at the enthusiasm in his voice, and then Danny's face got serious again.

  
'And you're worried about … where?'

  
Steve shifted, uncomfortable. 'More like … how.'

  
Danny's eyes widened, suddenly comprehending. 'You've never done this before!'

  
Steve made an frustrated noise and looked away, delving into new realms of discomfort. He ran a hand through his hair. 'No,' he muttered, mortified. 'You have?'

  
Danny took a small step back, as though he were afraid Steve would bolt. 'Well, yeah. After graduation I travelled around Europe with some friends for a few months, before I joined the academy. No big, man.'

  
Steve wanted to act like it wasn't important, but this was Danny. He could see right through him. And if he couldn't be honest with Danny then what was the point of all this?

  
His shoulders slumped slightly, and that told Danny everything.

  
'Hey,' Danny said softly, and he reached up to Steve, putting one hand on his cheek, thumb brushing his cheekbone a little. 'It's nothing to worry about, Steve, ok? 'Matter of fact, I was worried you'd be put off by the fact that I have done it before, you know what I mean?' His eyes were so concerned, and Steve knew he was worrying him.

 

So he made a quick executive decision to man the fuck up, and smiled in what he hoped was a genuine manner. Ducking in, he kissed Danny, trying to convey all of his gratitude in that one, heated touch. He felt Danny's body respond instantly, and as he drew back slightly, he automatically reached out and twisted the blinds on Danny's window shut.

  
Concealed, he put his hand on Danny's shoulders and kissed him again, harder, with more energy. Danny was, as usual, completely responsive, and moved in close, pressing their bodies together and deepening the kiss, wrapping his free arm around Steve and making a contented noise in the back of his throat.

  
'We've gotta stop doing this here,' murmured Danny, as Steve dragged his lips away to kiss Danny's jaw line, just the way he knew he liked it. Someone's gonna come barging in here - '

  
'Yeah, they already know,' replied Steve, completely distracted by Danny's skin and wandering hands, which froze at his words.

  
'They know,' repeated Danny, blankly. 'They know?'

  
Steve raised his head. 'Well, yeah,' he said, pressing his lips to Danny's again. 'It's pretty obvious. And I'm sure Kono's caught us makin' out like twice.' He kissed Danny again, and then again, loving the casual nature of their intimacy.

  
'Well that's pretty awkward, I mean,' Danny said, when Steve had returned to his neck. He was dangerously close to his 'lets push Danny on to a desk and do things' mood, which realistically he was never very far away from, but Danny was even more paranoid now. 'Don't ya think it would be better if we, like, officially told them, or something?'

  
Steve drew back with a mischievous glint in his eye. 'What's the matter, babe?' he said, innocently. 'It's no big.'

  
Danny huffed and tried to push his face away, caving only when Steve got him by the hips and squeezed right where Danny was ticklish. He did end up on the desk after all; Steve was addictive when he was this playful, and it was a side he so rarely got to see from him that Danny couldn't resist kissing him back and acting like a complete teenager.

  
Their fun didn't last too long; Steve got a call and they had to button up shirts and think bad thoughts to cool themselves down. 'Chicks have it so easy,' Steve heard Danny mutter as he adjusted himself, discomfort making him pout. Steve had to resist the urge to do it for him.

  
It wasn't a tough case. A body with multiple stab wounds found on the beach, and it hadn't even been in the water, so it was covered in DNA. A quick, unplanned murder. Steve considered handing it off to HPD and sneaking off with Danny for the day, but that was something he'd never normally do and he didn't want Kono and Chin thinking that his relationship was affecting his work.

  
Relationship. The word was unfamiliar to Steve. People had been saying he and Danny were like a married couple for years, and Steve had never corrected them, but now that they were actually acting on it, he was mildly alarmed about how much he himself was enjoying it. How had they not been doing this forever? Like, how had he missed that?

  
Danny made the arrest at about 4pm. He and Kono beat him to the house because he'd been chasing up another lead. By the time he got there, Danny was pinning the guy with one knee and Kono had her gun on three others who were cowering loudly in the corner of the room.

  
'Shut up - shut up, you idiot,' growled Danny, getting out his cuffs. Still kneeling on the perp, who was hurling abuse at him, he cuffed him one handed and then grabbed him by the hair and yanked his head back.

  
'Still feel like killing innocent girls huh, you mutt?' he snarled in his ear. 'You're going away for a long time buddy, let's go.'

  
He dragged him up by his hair, ignoring his howls of pain, and pushed him out the door ahead of him. Steve set about helping Kono pin the rest of them, trying very hard not to think about how hot Danny had looked booking that guy.

  
Of course that made him think about what Danny would look like if they did have sex, and for some reason he kept picturing Danny behind him, as opposed to, well, under him.

  
He was so preoccupied that he nearly dropped the camera when Kono joked about Danny withholding certain things if Steve kept calling him Danno in front of the suspects.

  
'Wh-what?' he yelped, whirling around. All the suspects were out in front now with the HPD backup, and he and Kono were searching for any other evidence. She straightened up from photographing a bloody knife and looked amused. 'Come on, you know what I mean,' she teased, grinning at him knowingly.

  
'Oh, right, yeah,' Steve acknowledged, belatedly. This should not have surprised him; he was the one who told Danny earlier that he suspected Kono and Chin knew all about them. He just hadn't expected Kono to call him on it.

  
She rolled her eyes, punching him softly on the shoulder. 'Nice one, boss,' she laughed. 'We're all happy for you two, brah.'

  
Steve grinned, despite himself. 'Thanks, Kono,' he said, relieved.

  
'So that's what's got you caught up today, huh?' she continued, crouching to bag the knife.

  
Steve hesitated. 'Sort of, yeah.'

  
'Sort of?' Kono eased the knife into the evidence bag. 'Come on man, it is or it isn't.'

  
Steve bit his lip, casting around for some way to change the subject, but he'd dug his grave now. Time to hop in.

  
Kono stood up, holding the evidence bag and looking at him shrewdly. 'Anything you wanna talk about, boss?' she asked carefully, sealing the bag and dropping it in with the others.

  
Steve fidgeted, rubbing the back of his neck and praying that he wouldn't have to say it.

  
Kono stared at him searchingly, eyes widening as she took in his expression.

  
'Is this … is this about … oh my god.'

  
'Kono,' warned Steve urgently, as her face lit up with about five thousand emotions.

  
'You and Danny - '

  
'Zip!' Steve whispered furiously, holding up his finger.

  
'You haven't - '

  
'Stop! Stop, now,' said Steve, trying not to blush and failing dismally.

  
Kono was just staring at him, unable to stop smiling. 'Boss, you look like a deer in headlights,' she said, beaming. 'Come on, talk to me about it.'

  
'No,' said Steve firmly, turning to go.

  
Kono grabbed his arm. 'Come on,' she insisted. 'It's throwing you off. And I bet I can help.'

  
'Probably,' agreed Steve, 'but no. This is way too inappropriate.'

  
'Give me a break,' said Kono, rolling her eyes. 'This isn't HPD, this is Five-0. We're a family. Although … that term might be kind of awkward now that you guys are doing it,' she joked, and Steve cringed.

  
'We're not actually, um, doing it,' he mumbled, rubbing his neck again. He glanced around quickly to see if any of the cops were lingering. Thankfully, the place was now deserted, Danny having went back with the suspect to get his statement. But that meant no one was gonna drop by to save Steve's ass on this one.

  
Kono looked surprised, but didn't laugh this time. 'But you're doing … some stuff, right?'

  
Steve sighed and shrugged, decided to go with it. 'Yeah, we are. I mean, we're doing most stuff, just not - that,' he finished lamely, letting his hands fall by his side.

  
It seemed to all click for Kono. She nodded. 'And you're worried about how it'll work? Going all the way. That's cool, man. I get it.'

  
Steve saw the light. 'Wait, is it like that for chicks?' he asked, forgetting to be embarrassed in his quest for answers.

  
Kono paused, then nodded. 'Mostly, yeah,' she said. 'This is kinda how I felt when I was a kid, you know, before my first time.' Steve was amazed at how frank she was being.

  
'Yeah, I mean I didn't have a clue how it was gonna work. I was nervous, kind of scared, and I didn't know the guy that well. But you have such an advantage, man. You and Danny are like, partners in every sense of the word.'

  
Steve laughed. 'I'm serious!' Kono protested, though she was laughing too. 'You know each other inside out, and you trust each other. And yeah, maybe you've never done this before, but everyone has firsts. Look at all you've done in your life - being in the Navy, being a SEAL, North Korea, everything we do with Five-0 - is this honestly the scariest thing you've ever done?'

  
'Definitely,' said Steve, without hesitation.

  
Kono smiled. 'Well then just be glad that he's got your back,' she said, simply.

  
Steve let that sink in, then exhaled slowly. 'Thanks, Kono,' he said. 'I guess you're right.'

  
Kono nodded. 'Yes, I am,' she said, sounding pleased. 'Just relax.'

  
'Trying to,' Steve assured her. She laughed, and gathered up the evidence box in her arms.

  
'No,' she said as she passed him. 'I mean it. Relax. It um, helps.' She deliberately bumped her hip off his and winked. Steve felt his face flame, but thankfully Kono choked back her laughter until she got outside.

  
'Thanks for the advice,' he muttered, rubbing his neck again. 'Relax…oh my god.'

 

 

Steve was supposed to be writing a report on the apprehension of Palakiko and his gang of idiot friends, but he kept glancing at the clock, getting more nervous by the minute. How did he bring this up with Danny? _I think you should be on top_ … he wrinkled his nose. Even his brain was rolling its eyes at him. He was a motherfucking SEAL, a Commander. Danny would expect that he'd want to be on top, right? Was he supposed to be? He was taller, after all … or did that make a difference?

  
Chin came in at around 6 and distracted him from destroying the tip of his pen with his teeth.

  
'Hey Steve, Danny said something about there being a fifth member of the gang we picked up today, did he tell you?'

  
Steve looked up, frowning. 'No, I haven't spoken to him yet. A fifth member, is he sure?'

  
Chin nodded, looking down at his tablet and swiping a few things. 'Kono said she found a finger print at the scene that didn't match either of our four guys or the victim. Might be coincidental - any number of people could have passed through that house - but it's the only other one.'

  
'You run it through the system?'

  
'Yeah, no hits. Whoever they are, they don't have a record.'

  
'So it could have been anyone,' said Steve, nodding. 'Ok, see if Kono can get anything from the others. Lean on Palakiko, he might give something away if he thinks we have everyone.'

  
Chin nodded. 'Sure thing, boss.' He made to leave, and then paused.

  
'Oh, and by the way - '

  
'Don't,' whispered Steve, closing his eyes, but it was too late.

  
'Good luck on your date tonight,' Chin grinned, eyes crinkling.

  
'How did you - '

  
'I worked with Danny today, brah.' Chin smiled in what was probably meant to be a reassuring manner. 'Don't worry, stays between us.'

  
'And Kono,' Steve said, head in his hands.

  
'You told Kono?'

  
'She told me,' he said, voice muffled.

  
'Ah,' said Chin knowingly, and they both chuckled a little, Steve still not entirely comfortable knowing that the seemingly everyone important knew he was worried about taking it up the ass.

  
'Dude, you have ink on your face.'

  
Fuck.

 

 

'Ready to go?' Danny finally appeared at Steve's door at around 8, and Steve nearly choked, because Danny had changed into a dark navy open necked shirt; his white work one had become spattered with blood after Palakiko's interrogation had gotten a little exuberant.

  
The effect of the blue with the lightness of his hair and eyes - well, Steve didn't know a fucking thing about colours and how they worked, but this particular combination was practically making him hard. God fucking dammit, he was a _SEAL._

  
'Um, yeah,' Steve said, capping his pen reluctantly. 'You have any luck getting the fifth name out of Palakiko?'

  
'Nah, he's not budging,' said Danny, leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. 'Gonna keep him overnight, let him sweat it out, try again in the morning.' He examined his hand idly. 'Huh. His chin bruised my knuckles. Think I could put in a claim?'

  
'Oh yeah sure, that would go down great,' he replied, pushing out from his desk and crossing the room. Danny grinned at him sheepishly and Steve grinned back, He was aware that they both looked like complete dorks, but he didn't care.

  
They kissed, soft and sweet, and Steve thought for a moment that maybe it wasn't so bad that everyone knew. He could do this practically whenever he wanted.

  
But regardless of how comfortable he felt kissing Danny in the relative privacy of Five-0, it didn't take Steve long to realise that they were in no way ready for the public sphere.

  
They sat at a small table by the bar, nursing beers that neither of them really wanted, and all Steve could think about was dragging Danny out to his car and ripping that fucking shirt right off him with his teeth. From the distracted look on his partner's face, he could guess that Danny's thoughts weren't too far away from a similar scenario.

  
Their conversation was scant; all they could really think to talk about was the case, and neither of them really wanted to talk about that. He thought about bringing up the only interesting thing that had happened to him that day - his conversation with Kono - but that would make things roughly five thousand times more awkward.

  
'Why is this weird?' he asked abruptly. Danny's quick glance up made him flush, but he held his gaze.

  
Danny thought for a moment, and then shrugged. 'I dunno, man,' he said, looking bemused. 'Maybe we moved too fast?'

  
Steve frowned. 'It's been like, three weeks. Is that fast?'

  
Danny shrugged. 'How should I know, I've never done this before.'

  
Steve stared at him incredulously. 'You've never - you said you had!'

  
Danny held up a hand. 'Hey, I said I'd been with a guy before, ok, I never said I did the whole go on a date with a dude thing, alright?'

  
Steve sighed, frustrated. His hands tightened around his beer as he stared at it pensively.

  
'Maybe we're trying to hard to be, like, a couple,' he said tentatively; from the way Danny's nose wrinkled slightly, he knew he was on to something.

  
'See!' he said eagerly. 'You hate the sound of it too, right? Doesn't sound like us.'

  
Danny paused, then frowned. 'I - I guess? I dunno man, I wanna be _with_ you - but not like I was with Rachel, you know?'

  
Steve nodded, watching Danny carefully. Danny shifted, running a hand across the lower half of his face.

  
'It's like, I love being around you, and spending time with you, and … you know, all the other stuff.'

  
Steve smiled a little. 'Yeah?'

  
'Yeah,' said Danny, softly, looking up at him. 'All that stuff, man. It's great. But with Rachel I had to take her shopping, and look at wallpaper colours, and buy tampons - '

  
Steve laughed. 'I don't need any of that, man.'

  
Danny smiled ruefully. 'I know. But I just don't think we're that couple, you know? We're not those guys.' He shrugged again, tapping out a little pattern on the side of the beer bottle. 'I dunno, I just thought it would be easier. Maybe we shouldn't force it.'

  
'What, you mean, like, just let it happen?'

  
Danny nodded, thoughtfully. 'Yeah, I guess that's what I mean.'

  
Steve knew he should be thinking about that, but there was something about they way Danny's gaze softened when he was thinking about the two of them. His face became smoother, unlined, and the tiniest trace of an unconscious smile played around his lips. Steve couldn't take his eyes off him.

  
Danny started then, and dug his vibrating phone out of his pocket. Steve shook himself slightly so he wouldn't be caught mooning over him, and asked, 'Who is it?'

  
Danny frowned at the caller ID. 'It's an officer from HPD. I put him on to finding that fifth name. Sorry man, I better take this, just in case he's in trouble.'

  
Steve nodded, taking a drink from his now flat beer, not caring.

  
'Hey Mike, everything ok?' Danny was frowning again, and as Steve watched, he covered his other ear with is free hand. 'Say that again, man, you're really quiet … Yeah, ok hold on.'

  
He covered the top of his phone and said, 'I'm gonna go outside, see if I can get a better signal. I'll be back in a sec, ok?'

  
'Ok,' said Steve, watching his face carefully. Danny didn't look too concerned, but they might be cutting this failure of a date short.

  
He watched as Danny weaved his way through the groups of people milling around the bar to get to the open from porch. It was a beachfront, as most of the best places to drink in Oahu were, and Steve could see Danny going down the front steps to the sand. He was just a silhouette now, though the moon was full and bright. Steve thought how cool it would be to go to the beach at night, just he and Danny. That way there'd be no one around to eavesdrop on their conversations, and they could just sit, and lean against one another, just talking, maybe kissing … yeah definitely kissing.

  
Steve's eyes glazed over slightly thinking about kissing Danny. Shit, he really wanted to take him home now, like right now. Screw all this top/bottom bullshit.

  
Glancing up, he looked for Danny again, but the crowds were blocking the gap he’d left through. Taking another casual sip of beer, he glanced around the bar disinterestedly.

  
Then he froze.

  
The local guy sitting by the bar had glanced in his direction twice while he’d been talking to Danny. And now he was slipping off his stool and moving purposefully towards the exit. A familiar tattoo was wrapped around his wrist, and Steve’s soldier sense was screaming at him.

  
He stood up, craning over the heads of the people in the bar. The beach outside was deserted. No Danny.

  
He was aware of shouts and squeals of pain as he stepped on toes and elbowed bar patrons on his way out, but paid them less than zero heed. He stumbled out into the cool night, feeling the sand getting into his shoes, and spun around, searching. His eyes saw first what his brain refused to register – Danny’s phone, still lit up from the phone call, half buried in the sand.

  
There was a split second where he couldn’t move. His heart had completely stopped. Then the slamming of doors and the screech of wheels kicked him into action, and he was running for the road, feet slipping on the sand in his haste, pounding up the beach to where the black van was pulling out recklessly, revving out of the parking lot and disappearing down the street.  
He was dimly aware that he was calling Danny’s name, roaring it, but the noise of his own heartbeat forcing the blood to his head was deafening, he couldn’t think.

  
‘Hey! Hey, are you ok? That van - ’

  
‘What?’ snapped Steve, completely disorientated. It was a woman, standing nervously beside him. Behind her, soft yellow light came from her home, where a man stood it he doorway, holding a child.

  
‘That van,’ she said again, somewhat nervously. ‘It’s been parked outside our house for two hours. I was just about to call the cops.’

  
‘Did you get a plate number?’ Steve asks, hardly daring to hope.

  
‘Yeah, my husband took it down,’ she said, handing him a small slip of paper. Steve wasted no time. He took it from her and called Chin, fingers shaking.

  
Chin picked up after about five rings, by which time Steve was contemplating calling the Governor.

  
‘Steve, what's – ‘

  
‘Chin, the fifth man – they’ve got Danny. I’m sending you the plate number of the van. Get Kono, get a trace, get down to five-0 now. Call HPD and get a search going.’

  
‘Steve, slow down - ’

  
‘Now, Chin!’ Steve snapped, trying not to let the panic creep through his voice. ‘We’ve already got his boys locked up. We can’t be sure that this is a trade. We’ve got to find Danny now before they kill him.’

 

 

The next hour was a complete nightmare for Steve. HPD were given the van’s plate number and set about tracking it, but without Danny’s cell phone they had no way of tracking him. Steve had gone back to get it after calling Chin, and yelled down the phone at the unsuspecting officer on the other end to get every single cop available out on the streets looking for the black van. Then he’d gotten in his car and broke several speed limits to get back to five-0.

  
Kono just beat him to it. She’d clearly been interrupted; her hair was scraped back and her clothes had the distinct look of unofficial pajamas.

  
‘I got half way here before I even thought about changing,’ she admitted, hands flying over the computer.

  
‘It’s fine, tell me you’ve got something,’ Steve said tightly, hand unconsciously resting on the handle of his gun.

  
‘Well this is definitely perp number 5,’ she said, throwing up an ID card on the screen. ‘Vehicle was registered to a Manu Liko. No rap sheet, but that’s probably because he’s barely legal. His father, however, Maleko -' another ID card went up, ‘-has a very interesting resumé.’

  
‘Grand theft auto, couple of DUI’s, possession, and – ah’, Steve glared at the screen. ‘Arrested along with his partner in crime, Palakiko. We got an address for this dead man walking?’

  
‘Yes,’ said Chin, coming into the room holding a tablet. He looked stressed, but his voice was even. ‘Spoke to the cop Danny was working with on this, Mike Schaffer. Palakiko broke, that’s why Mike called Danny. Gave up Maleko as the fifth member, then tried to threaten Mike; said he’d seen his buddies being arrested and Maleko would be coming for them. Mike thought he should warn Danny, but …’

  
‘But he was too late,’ Steve said in a flat voice. ‘Call HPD. Let’s go get him.’

 

 

Steve drove, though he shouldn’t have.

  
Steve was on point and led HPD into the house, even though he wasn’t sure he’d be able to resist shooting every single person he saw that wasn’t Danny.

  
And before they found him, Steve has thoughts he’d never quite forget; in his darkest moments, they’d haunt him. In his blackest dreams, they’d find him.

 

They were in the basement. Steve had fired off two into the back of the man standing over Danny almost before he was in the door. He heard Kono shout ‘Five-0, don’t move!’ but he didn’t care much for taking anyone alive.

  
It was over before it began. The two other men in the room went down as Kono and Chin followed him into the room. The guys from HPD called clear in the rest of the house, and then Steve was moving, shouting at the others to get out, to call an ambulance, because all he could see was the slumped figure lying on the ground beside a filthy trough full of murky water, hands tied behind his back, soaked to the skin and motionless.

  
He slipped his knife out and freed Danny’s hands, rolling him on to his back and shaking him, feeling the cold tendrils of panic started to wrap around his heart, numbing his fingers and deafening him. Danny was not breathing.

  
‘Come on, Danny, breath,’ he muttered desperately, starting compressions. He’d done this before, he’d done this dozens of times before. He’d never been more scared in his life.

  
Danny still wasn’t moving.

  
‘Danny come on!’ Steve shouted. ‘Breathe!’

  
He could hear Kono's breathing, choked with unshed tears as she tried to keep it together, Chin shouting at the police officers. He could feel hot tears scalding his own skin, but he would not blink them away, any second could bring him back, bring him back to Steve.

  
His heart was stuttering; he slammed his fist into Danny’s chest. His eyes flew open. A lungful of water was coughed from his throat, and more than a few drops of blood. Steve’s eyes widened and his hands gripped Danny’s shoulders, as Kono and Chin gasped and cried out in relief. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but the sudden panic and frightening lack of recognition in Danny’s eyes made him pause.

  
Danny tried to make a noise, but what came out sounded like an engine that’s been gunned too many times. He slapped and pushed weakly at Steve, then with more force as real panic gripped his limbs and leant him strength.

  
‘Away, get away,’ he rasped, scraping his body back over the stone floor towards the wall. ‘Don’t – no more!’

  
Steve was stricken; he moved forwards to reassure Danny, to show him it was over, but Kono grabbed his shoulder. ‘Don’t!’ she hissed, gripping him warningly. Then, more softly, ‘Give him a minute, boss. Give him a minute.’

  
Danny had dragged himself into a sitting position, and was breathing fast. Steve recognized his attempts to get his breathing under control as practiced, born out of familiar circumstances. A terrible recognition.

  
His eyes trailed towards the sink, and the splashes of water on the walls, the puddles he and Danny were crouched in. Danny’s one weakness, and these bastards stumbled upon it.

How many times did they drown him before he thought of just taking a gulp of water, and then another? How many more times before they would have held him under for good?

  
‘Danny,’ he whispered. ‘It’s me. It’s Steve, buddy. I’m not gonna …’

  
Danny’s hands were at his throat, fluttering about it, not quite touching. Protective. There were red rings on the skin. Fingerprints. Steve felt the heat in his stomach boil with fury.

  
‘They’re gone, Danny. Look at me, babe. Look at me, I’m right here, ok? I’m not going anywhere.’

  
Danny was crouched defensively, angling his body away from them, towards the wall. But Steve could see he was coming back to himself. The initial panic and confusion was wearing off. Slowly, he turned his head, breathing becoming quieter.

  
He raised his eyes to Steve’s. They were bloodshot, and his face bore signs of physical beating as well as the psychological one.  
He didn’t say anything, but Steve held eye contact until Danny broke away, seemingly exhausted by the effort. He slumped to the ground, and in the most hoarse, tortured voice, whispered, ‘Finally.’


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Physically and emotionally drained, but still so alive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part four at last. Apologies for the delay, all I can do is point at my exams and shake my head sadly. Anyways, hope you enjoy!

Danny refused to stay in the hospital. In fact, Steve was fairly sure that he only consented to even be in the bed because Grace had thrown herself over his chest and was curled up there, little fingers clasped tightly around one of Danny’s hands.

Danny’s voice was wrecked from the strangulation and chemicals in the filthy water. There was also the fact that he’d been forcibly resuscitated five times, not including Steve’s efforts, choking up water and coughing until his throat tore each time. Steve watched Danny comfort his daughter and Rachel from the doorway. He was rubbing Grace’s back and looking up at Rachel, apology all over his face. For once, Rachel didn’t have anything to say. She just sniffed and blinked away tears, nodding at him.

Steve knew he shouldn’t be intruding on their time together, and stood mostly outside the door, but he simply couldn’t let Danny out of his sight. It was like he’d been relegated back to just his partner, with Rachel and Grace sitting by his bedside and Steve on the threshold, mopping up the rest of the case and letting Danny’s family take care of him.

‘I want you to come home to us tonight,’ Rachel was saying softly, and Steve’s ears pricked up.

‘No,’ croaked Danny, shaking his head. Rachel put a finger on Danny’s lips, and Steve burned.

‘Yes,’ she said, firmly. ‘If you insist on checking yourself out then I cannot let you go back to that hovel.’

‘My place … not a _hovel_ ,’ Danny replied, and Steve ached for him. His voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing together.

Rachel looked like she was going to argue, and Steve knew he needed to step in.

‘I’ll take him to my place,’ he said, moving into the room a little further. Rachel’s head turned towards the sound of his voice, unstartled, but didn’t look around, like she hadn’t missed his presence the entire time he’d been standing there.

‘That’s not your responsibility,’ she said tightly, still not looking at him. Danny’s eyes moved from one to the other, but he didn’t speak.

Steve took a couple of more steps into the room until he was at the foot of the bed. He met Danny’s eyes for just a second, and then said simply, ‘It is now.’

Rachel didn’t reply, but stared intently at Danny. A look passed between the two of them, born of the familiarity and history that existed between the two of them. Rachel looked confused, and a little unhappy, but whatever she saw in Danny’s eyes decided her. She nodded, and put her hand on Grace’s leg.

‘Ok, time to go baby,’ she said softly. Grace sighed, and turned her head up to Danny’s.

‘But who’s gonna look after Danno?’ she said, voice tremulous.

‘Steve is going to look after him,’ Rachel replied, standing to go, carefully avoiding Steve’s gaze. He was tense; Grace’s approval was worth more to Danny than anything.

Grace brightened visibly. She kissed Danny’s cheek and smiled.

‘Uncle Steve always looks after Danno,’ she said, and, to everyone’s surprise, she rolled off the bed and trotted to Steve’s side. She wrapped her arms around him and Steve was too surprised to do anything but hug her back.

There was silence in the room, and then Grace moved back and beckoned to him. Steve crouched to her level, and something flipped and kicked inside him when she leaned in and kissed his cheek too, her little hand patting his cheek as she did so. She pulled back, and Steve stared, wide-eyed at her, as she smiled.

‘You love Danno,’ she said simply, as though she was telling him that the sky was blue.

Steve swallowed. ‘Yeah,’ he replied, with some difficulty. He cleared his throat. ‘Yes, Grace. I do.’ He tried to sound as sincere as he felt.

Grace nodded, and looked back at Danny. Steve followed her gaze, and saw a shocked tear slip down Danny’s cheek, mouth quirking into an amazed smile.

‘Yeah, I know,’ she said, easily. ‘And you’ll look after him?’

Steve smiled at her; it wasn’t hard. Her simple, trusting warmth radiated out from her, as she calmly placed her father’s life in his hands. Steve knew she didn’t know the extent of their relationship, but she knew the only honest, important truth that mattered. That Steve loved Danny, and Danny loved Steve, and she recognized that love as good and natural.

So he didn’t joke or talk down to her. He looked her in the eye, and said ‘I will always look after him, Grace. Always … if that’s ok with you?’

Grace beamed, and nodded. Steve’s heart throbbed painfully, and he had to blink a few times, smiling, dazed, as he looked at her. Her happy little grin was Danny’s, all Danny. The resemblance was shocking, and Steve’s arms ached to pick her up and swing her around.

But he let her go, holding Rachel’s hand. Grace waved at Danny as she left, chirping, ‘Bye, Danno. Feel better soon.’

‘Bye, Monkey,’ Danny replied, as best he could, waving back at her, then letting his hand fall to the bed, exhausted. He looked at Steve and Steve looked back at him.

There was a whole lot they could have said in that moment, but Steve knew there was no point. As usual they were both on the same page. So he crossed to the other side of the bed and pulled up a chair next to it. Danny rolled over to face him, and Steve took his hand. They stayed like that, for how long Steve did not know, holding each other’s hands and just basking in the fact that they were here, they were alive. Steve could feel Danny’s pulse in his wrist; each beat was another confirmation of his existence. So they stayed there, together, allowing themselves to heal and recover, and Steve made a promise to himself that he would never again allow anyone to waste a single second of his time with this man. He didn’t care who knew, just so long as Danny knew.

 

****

 

The doctor let him go about an hour later, after being heavily leaned on by Steve. Technically, there was nothing wrong with Danny. He just needed a lot of rest.

‘He’ll get it,’ Steve promised the frowning doctor, as Danny pulled a t-shirt on over his head with some difficulty.

‘I want to see that throat again in two day’s time, Detective Williams,’ warned the doctor sternly. Danny nodded and gave him a two-fingered salute. The doctor nodded, and left.

Steve stifled a yawn. It was past midnight, and they’d been running around all day. He didn’t know how Danny was still standing.

‘Come on, buddy,’ he said, slipping an arm around Danny’s waist and pressing his lips briefly against Danny’s temple. ‘Time for you to get some sleep.’

He thought Danny would pass out in the car ride home, because Steve nearly did. He’d spent days on adrenalin-fuelled missions in the Middle East, never sleeping or resting, and they hadn’t taken as much out of him as the last five hours had. He was positive he’d find grey hairs in the morning.

But Danny was awake, and silent, the entire way home. Steve clenched his hands on the steering wheel and let him be silent.

He’d called Kono from the hospital when Danny was signing paperwork and asked her to warm up his house for him. So, when he opened the front door, he was pleased to find the table lamps on and the curtains closed. He led Danny upstairs into his bedroom, not even considering the couch. Danny was wearing some clothes that Rachel had brought for him, a casual t-shirt and pants; he looked younger, more vulnerable.

They kicked off their shoes but couldn’t bring themselves to undress properly. They lay on the bed, Steve pulling Danny close, both in desperate need of the contact. Hugs were healing in a thousand different ways, and feeling Danny’s chest rise and fall against his own was better than a whole week of good night’s sleep for Steve.

They wrapped their arms and legs around one another, shuffling until they found comfortable positions. Their bodies knew where to go and what to do, even if their tired minds couldn’t figure it out. It was natural, and easy.

The house was silent, except for their breathing.

‘I don’t wanna close my eyes,’ whispered Danny, voice almost imperceptible, gravelly and muffled from where his head rested on Steve’s collarbone. He shivered slightly as he felt Danny’s breath on him.

He ran his hands over Danny’s back, pulling him closer, and kissed his head.

‘I’m right here, Danny,’ he said, feeling his heart beating faster than it should be. ‘I’m right here.’

 

****

 

Despite his fear, Danny passed out almost immediately. Steve’s body was exhausted, his limbs heavy, and he desired nothing more than to sleep forever, wrapped in Danny’s arms.

But sleep would not come.

Images of Danny shying violently away from him, terrified, rose up to greet him every time he closed his eyes. Danny, choking up water and blood, huddled against the wall. He couldn’t bear it. He was afraid that if he fell asleep he’d relive it all over again. And so round and round his brain spun, keeping him awake.

Danny muttered and moved in his sleep, which concerned Steve. Twice Danny had fallen asleep on him before, when they were watching Star Wars (Danny honestly could not stand them, but attempted to sit through them for Steve), and both times he had been a silent, immovable sleeper.

Now Danny kicked and buried his head in the pillow. His eyelids flickered and twitched and he cried out a few times. Steve lay beside him, watchful, occasionally taking hold of his arms and hushing him, trying to settle him. It disturbed him more than he would have thought, to see Danny so affected.

He dropped into a heavier sleep around 4am, according to the alarm clock. Steve was still wide awake, and he was at the stage where he no longer even felt tired, which meant he’d probably crash in about three hours. Danny hadn’t moved in a while, and his breathing was deep and steady. Steve needed to clear his head.

He rolled off the bed and crossed quietly to the door, leaving it ajar so he would be able to hear movement. Once downstairs, he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and stepped out on to the back porch. He loved this time of day; the sun was a little while off, but already the dark of the sky was softening. The air was cool, the grass not yet damp. He pattered around the lawn for a little while, drinking water and not thinking, before retreating to the porch and sitting down on the steps. His hands shook a little from exhaustion, and he leaned against the frame of the porch, trying to rest.

He sat for about an hour, listening to the birds waking up and watching the horizon get lighter, before he heard the creaky stair whine with the weight of a person. He half-twisted around, and saw Danny standing in his kitchen, hair all mussed, looking disorientated.

He shot up, but Danny waved a hand at him, indicating that he should sit back down. Rubbing his eyes, he padded across the kitchen barefoot and joined Steve on the porch. Steve was still standing, tense.

‘You should still be sleeping,’ he said sternly, rubbing his shoulder and examining his face intently.

Danny shrugged. ‘Woke up,’ he said, voice too quiet. ‘Tried calling you, then remembered this don’t work too good.’ He indicated his throat, which was still livid and red, with purple bruises blossoming in far too many places. Steve tried not to look.

‘What’s your excuse?’ he asked, and Steve ducked his head.

‘You need to rest, and rest your voice too,’ he chided gently, not wanting to get him agitated. ‘Go back to bed, babe.’

Danny caught the avoidance. ‘Not without you,’ he replied. ‘Look at you, did you even sleep?’

Steve half-smiled, and tugged on his hand. ‘Come on then, sit with me,’ he said, pulling Danny down. They sat side by side on the steps, leaning against each other, silent for a few moments, until Danny shifted a little.

‘Kept having dreams,’ he said, despite the obvious effort it was to talk. ‘’Bout water. Just water, everywhere. Drowning, over and over again.’ He huffed a sigh, and rubbed a hand across his face. ‘Of all the damn things, I mean …’

‘I know,’ Steve said, putting an arm around his shoulder and pulling him in. ‘That’s what I thought, too. When I saw you … That’s why I couldn’t sleep. Wouldn’t sleep. I kept seeing your face … Man, I didn’t know if you were … and then you didn’t recognize me - ’ Steve broke off, biting his lip. Danny didn’t need to hear that.

But Danny noticed. He turned a little to face Steve.

‘Babe, it’s ok,’ he said. Steve turned his head away – the images were getting too forceful, too strong, now that Danny was here. The dull echo of his fists slamming off his chest as he tried to restart his heart … His throat constricted, and he pressed his lips together, terrified that he’d break.

‘Hey!’ Danny breathed urgently, curling his hand around Steve’s cheek and gently pulling his face back to him. Steve blinked back his stupid tears, furious with himself, as he looked into Danny’s eyes.

Danny’s expression was contorted with sympathy and guilt, and Steve hated every bit of that.

‘Sorry, man.’ Steve tried to joke, shrugging it off. ‘I was just having a - ’

Danny interrupted him with a kiss. Steve felt his heart swell almost painfully. This man gave him everything, and he’d almost let him slip away? Steve’s arm tightened around him. Never again.

The kiss was passionate, and grew more so with urgency. Their hands roamed over each other’s back and shoulders, feeling, confirming each other’s presence. Steve needed this intimacy so badly right now it was a physical craving.

But was Danny ready for it?

Slowly, he drew back, and Danny made a small noise of confusion.

‘What?’ he said, a little dazed, nosing at Steve’s neck, kissing it, making Steve tingle so very pleasantly.

‘It’s just … do you really want this right now?’ he asked, unsure, as Danny lifted his head to meet his eyes. Steve flushed, and dropped his gaze. ‘I mean, I don’t wanna be taking advantage or something …’

Even worn out and wounded as he was, Danny still managed to bring him right back to an argument about a case in his damn car with the exasperated look he gave him.

‘Steven,’ he said sternly, ‘I died more times than I care to remember _today_. And each time, I thought that it was going to be the last. And each _time_ , I thought to myself, why in the _hell_ did I waste so much time? Why didn’t I try harder with Grace, why did I choose the job over her, every single time?’ He cupped Steve’s cheek, tracing under his eye with his thumb. ‘Why didn’t I kiss you every single goddamn time I saw you.’ He swallowed with difficulty, then said, ‘I don’t want to waste anymore time, Steve. I’ve never felt more powerless, more _helpless_ , than I did today. Being forced to die, and relive those regrets, so many times. And I couldn’t do a single thing about it.’ His eyes burned with an almost feverish intensity. ‘Now I can.’

Steve met his gaze evenly, and a look passed between them that only they knew. In an instant, he and Danny were one and the same.

‘You’ll never have to feel powerless with me,’ he breathed. ‘I’m yours, Danny.’

Danny crushed his lips with his own, and this time Steve reacted with the same intensity. Their skin burned where it touched, scalding him, and he craved more of it. He let Danny push him back on to his back, making a highly embarrassing noise of desire when Danny swung his leg over and straddled him, which he regretted with the passion of a thousand burning suns as soon as he made it, but Danny only chuckled into his mouth.

‘That’s it babe, don’t be shy,’ he muttered, pulling Steve’s shirt off above his head, then reaching for the hem of his own and pulling it off with unconscious grace. Steve lay beneath him, overwhelmed, not even sure where to start, but Danny knew exactly what he wanted. He pressed himself against Steve, and the skin-on-skin contact was so unbelievable that Steve arched into him, feeling the growing hardness between them, rubbing through the material of their pants. Danny’s hands were everywhere, and Steve could barely control his own. Who was this new guy, who suddenly knew exactly what parts he wanted to touch, where to go to make Danny moan and shiver?

As much as he wanted to keep this going, the wood was just a tad uncomfortable under his bare back and shoulders. He pulled Danny in for another heated kiss and then whispered, ‘You know you suck as a date, you really wanna do me on my dad’s porch?’

Danny grinned. ‘Way ahead of you.’ He rolled off Steve and got to his feet rather more quickly than Steve would have thought.

‘You’re feeling better,’ he commented, as he stood up. Danny winked suggestively at him and Steve couldn’t help grinning back. His mood was buoyant now, jubilant. Danny grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the kitchen door, and Steve followed eagerly, stopping short every few feet to pull Danny in towards him, slowly, savoring it. He’d bite at his lip and tug his hair, anything to get a few more throaty, lustful noises from his completely vocal partner. He couldn’t wait to do this when Danny was in full control of his vocal chords; they’d probably wake the whole street. Steve felt himself getting impossibly harder at the thought.

At one point on the stairs he got Danny so worked up that he stopped abruptly to slam him into the wall and kiss him, almost losing his footing so that he could pull him in closer, pressing their bodies together and feeling Danny’s strength push against him. It was incredible to have a sexual partner who could match him for strength. He didn’t have to be careful, or worrying about his fingers digging in too hard or that he was too heavy; Danny could give as well as he could take.

Finally, somehow, they reached the bedroom, and Steve couldn’t stop himself pushing Danny backwards like he was using to and climbing all over him. He pawed at his chest and let his hands roam, smoothing over Danny’s broad shoulders, pushing up over his neck and jaw to fist in his hair, pulling at it like he always wanted, ever since Danny had snuck up on him in his house the first day they’d met. He arched his back and flexed his arms, tugging Danny’s head back to expose his perfect jaw and neck, so very ready for biting. Danny dug his fingers into Steve’s hips, squeezing a little harder every time as Steve sucked love bites into his neck, making the most incredible noises whenever Steve bit a little too hard.

Danny was rotating his hips, grinding their very sensitive crotches together, so that whenever Steve did something particularly pleasing with his mouth, Danny would thrust _up_ with his hips just so, and Steve would hiss and shudder and gasp as they created the most unfuckingbelievable friction between their two bodies, already tightly coiled and so very ready to fuck each other senseless, _finally_.

‘You need to be like, a lot more naked,’ Danny managed to gasp out against his cheek; Steve honestly didn’t know how he was even making sounds, but he agreed enthusiastically with his statement. He barely had time to draw back from ruining Danny’s neck when Danny had already flipped them. Now he was on top, and Steve was treated to his entire golden body bent over him, kissing him, one hand tweaking his nipple which _fuck_ , Steve had never felt before but shit it was definitely going to become a thing. Danny was good at this, and Steve found that he was insanely glad, because Danny was pushing every single one of his buttons, buttons Steve didn’t even know he had.

Their skin was hot and burning, and it was such a nice pain that Steve started trying to work off his own belt buckle just to get his legs bare and wrapped around Danny’s irresistible hips, hips he’d been jerking off over for far too long, clutching at the bed sheets with his free hand because every single part of Danny made him want to grasp and claim.

Danny slapped his hand away, and Steve made a little noise of surprise.

‘Not this time,’ he murmured, leaning down and pressing their bodies together in the most delicious slide of skin on skin. ‘You don’t get to do that, babe. I’m in charge here.’

Steve was one hundred per cent willing and ready to do everything that Danny being in charge would entail, but he paused, half-eager, half-puzzled.

‘You’re not gonna let me play too?’ he asked softly, pecking little kisses on his neck and carding his hands through Danny’s hair, just because he could.

Danny chuckled throatily – it sounded like crunching gravel – and turned his face a little to nibble Steve’s ear – god damn, how did he know how to _do_ that?

While Steve was writhing in grudging pleasure at the tickle of Danny’s tongue at his ear, Danny took advantage of his incapacitation, running his hands down to Steve’s middle; suddenly, he was on the point of lifting Steve right out of his pants, and Steve didn’t know where to look or what to do, but then Danny was there, whispering in his ear, ‘You’re gonna do exactly what I say … _Commander_.’

If there had been just an ounce of Danny touching Steve’s dick at that time, Steve was sure he would have come in his boxers like a teenager. Thankfully he was able to save himself from that embarrassment by practically mauling Danny, capturing his mouth in a kiss, all tongue and teeth as they both unraveled from roughly four years of repressed sexual tension.

Danny got his trousers off and yanked his boxers down, and Steve’s hand shot down automatically to help himself, but Danny caught him before he got anywhere near there. To Steve’s mild disgust, he actually whined with frustration, and tried to sit up and kiss Danny into submission. But Danny was having none of it. He pulled Steve’s hand up and slid one of his fingers into his mouth, holding eye contact with Steve the entire time, and Steve felt every ounce of willpower drain away from him. The sight of Danny sucking on his fingers was matched only by the sheer fucking _feel_ of it; his tongue sliding up and down them, the hot wetness of his partner’s mouth that he could still taste on his lips, the raging fucking desire that burned in Danny’s eyes. Steve’s cock twitched in agony and his breathing became stupidly audible as Danny slipped another finger in.

It didn’t take long for Steve to start actively leaking onto Danny’s thighs, which were bare and straddling him. It was way too much and not nearly enough all at the same time.

‘Fuck,’ muttered Danny, dragging his mouth away from Steve’s fingers with a wet pop that made Steve’s body practically convulse, ‘fuck, I need you now, Steve, I can’t fucking keep – oh, fuck.’ That was all the warning Steve got before Danny pushed him back on to the bed again, and this time he was rutting his body against Steve’s, the dry rasp of the few remaining clothes that still clung to them as their bodies collided and writhed against each other. Danny crushed their mouths together and Steve was going insane, needing more, needing to be fucking _claimed_ , and it felt weird, it felt one hundred and ten per cent more weird than anything he’d ever done before but that didn’t stop him wanting it like hell. Didn’t stop him from spreading his legs and wrapping them around Danny’s waist _finally,_ from thrusting his erection up into Danny’s in a desperate attempt to create any fucking kind of friction.

But once again Danny stopped him, pinning his thighs down with his hands, and then nipping at Steve’s neck before sliding one of his own fingers into Steve’s mouth, saying ‘Suck them’. Steve had no idea what the fuck kind of stuff Danny was used to but goddamn was he game for every last bit of it.

He didn’t really know what constituted a good mouth-on-finger job, but Danny seemed to be enjoying it as he sucked and licked the digits, finding it strange but still fucking hot; mainly because Danny’s eyes were becoming unfocused with arousal, and the grip he still had on Steve’s thigh with his other hand was becoming vice-like.

His mouth replaced his fingers with a kiss, full of intent, and as he began to press kisses into Steve’s chest, his hand trailed down his side, hitting all of Steve’s sensitive spots, until it was sliding underneath Steve and –

Steve didn’t mean to yelp, but that is in fact what happened. He didn’t want to look, in case he’d just ruined everything by being a complete noob, but Danny just huffed a very small noise of amusement, and hooked one of Steve’s legs over his shoulder, hands being very gentle despite the lust in his eyes and the raging hard-on. In one hand he held the lube Steve knew he’d left in his drawer. The sly fucker must have grabbed it before coming downstairs.

‘Just relax,’ Danny murmured against Steve’s muted outrage, kissing his knee and looking at him almost shyly, before sliding his mouth down his thigh to the softer inner part, lips like velvet. At the same time, one of his fingers – thoroughly lubricated by Steve’s mouth, Steve now realized, mortified – spread the lube inside of him, teasing, stretching, and generally invading him like nothing Steve had ever felt before. Part of Steve wanted to disappear into the blankets – thoughts of what Joe White would say, or any of his other navy buddies – but those thoughts were whisked away like something that moves very fast, Steve’s brain was rapidly losing blood as it all surged to his cock.

It could have been hours that Steve writhed there, letting his muscles relax and open up for Danny. He wasn’t sure he could have bared this much of himself if he didn’t know it was Danny down there, kissing and pressing at his rim with his fingers and tongue, until Steve was sweating, wrung out, and practically begging Danny for it.

‘Ask me again,’ Danny murmured against his skin, and at this point Steve was so frustrated that he nearly shouted it at him. But enough sanity remained for him to force out, ‘Fuck me.’ He barely recognized his own voice.

‘What’s that? Didn’t catch it?’ Danny replied, and Steve could hear the smirk in his voice.

‘You are the worst,’ he gasped, as Danny’s fingers curved inside him, stretching him out, like the most pleasurable kind of training he’d ever experienced, but man was it a work out.

‘Come on babe, I wanna hear you say it,’ Danny repeated, not joking anymore. They were as bad as each other.

Steve made yet another noise he’d never heard himself make before as Danny flicked his tongue over his balls, and growled out, ‘Come on Danny, are you gonna fuck me or am I gonna have to do it myself?’

Danny laughed, which sounded painful, but Steve lost all sympathy for him when he felt something that was far too big pressing at his entrance. He sucked in a breath and grabbed the sheets, bracing himself, but Danny eased back out, nuzzling the crook of his knee where it rested over his shoulder. He hiked the other leg up, and gently eased Steve’s legs down as he pushed in again. This time Steve was ready, and tried to relax, but it was hard. He screwed up his eyes, feeling like he was being split in half, all the way up the middle.

‘Hey, we can do this the other way,’ Danny reminded him, a tiny flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. ‘On your stomach, I mean. It’ll be easier - ’

‘No,’ said Steve surprising both of them. He looked Danny in the eye, feeling a little overwhelmed by the warmth he saw there. ‘I want to see your face.’

Danny swallowed audibly, and nodded. He grabbed one of the pillows from the top of the bed, and got back between Steve’s legs, hoisting up his middle briefly to slide the pillow under, giving him more leverage. He hooked Steve’s legs over his shoulders again, and pressed his face to the side of Steve’s knee, a look of agonized ecstasy lighting up his face as he pushed in again.

It burned just as bad as it had the first time. Steve had a moment of panic where he didn’t think he was cut out for this, but then he felt a tiny kiss press against his lips, and Danny whispered, ‘You got this, Superseal.’

Steve’s eyes fluttered open just as Danny pulled back out slightly. He was half-hoping that he’d pull out all the way, but braced himself again as he pushed back in, with a little more force this time.

Danny’s face was a ripple of emotions, and he was half biting his lip. Steve saw his muscles clenching, suppressing what Steve recognized as the desire to rut, and suddenly things became very different for Steve.

He leaned up and kissed Danny, pulling his head down towards him, and let his other hand slide down his spine to his ass. He pressed a little, and rocked his hips, testing. Danny moaned into Steve’s mouth, and moved with his attempted rocking movement. His shallow thrusts felt easier now as Steve stretched, and he felt tiny spasms of pleasure spark off inside him. His heart had kicked up several beats, and it started to transition from pain to pleasure much faster than he’d anticipated. It still burned, but he’d never had a burn that felt so damn good before.

Now, Danny wasn’t moving nearly fast enough for him. He thrust up with his hips, trying to tell him he wouldn’t break, but Danny still hesitated. Steve bit Danny’s lip and sucked on his tongue, breathing hitching and said, ‘Thought you were gonna fuck me, Danny? Come on babe, impress me.’

Steve probably could have been reciting the alphabet for all Danny cared; just the sound of his voice seemed to get him off. His thrusts became deeper, and his pace quickened from measured to erratic as their bodies found whatever rhythm they’d been going for. Their limbs slipped and bumped off one another, finding a pattern, a beat to move to, and every thrust seemed to light a fire that reached every single fucking part of Steve. He craned his head back, biting his own lip now, as Danny groaned into his neck as he fucked him, the vibration feeling fucking incredible.

He was aware that he was making sounds, but they were little more than mindless babble. He panted Danny’s name, begged him to go faster, which Danny happily did, fingers tightening on his skin, in his hair, straying to Steve’s cock and making Steve’s motor functions falter badly as he let him fuck into his fist in time to his thrusts. The sensations were overwhelming, and the slap of skin on skin coupled with their breathing and sounds of pure sex were doing more devastating things to Steve than he could have possibly fathomed.

Danny was losing his rhythm, and Steve knew he was close. Shit, he was too, but with Danny slamming on his prostate he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He pounded into Steve, thrusts quickening and becoming deeper, rougher, as Danny forgot to be gentle. They clutched at each other, moaning each others names, words barely distinguishable and unimportant. He felt every point of contact like an electric spark against his skin as Danny broke down every barrier Steve had ever constructed inside himself, physically and emotionally. He felt the pressure building inside of him, and he pressed their mouths together as Danny thumbed the slit of his cock, whispering, ‘Come for me,’ into his mouth. The pressure rolled and released, shocking his body like a flash burn and whiting out his vision. His hips bucked up as he gasped and shouted from the shock and overwhelming pleasure; the heat spread through his body like nothing he’d ever felt before.

His eyes shot open as Danny slammed into him one last time and he felt him tense, and then tighten his grip almost painfully on Steve’s arms as he broke, and Steve watched him fall apart, only just managing to keep his weight off him as his muscles went slack. Steve had never felt something so powerful in his life; the fact that he’d brought this man, his best friend, to the point of ecstasy was incredible, was so fucking mindblowing. He’d held men’s lives in his hands before, plenty of times. But no one, he realized, as he stroked Danny’s face and pressed kisses to his exhausted lips, had willingly taken their life and pushed it on Steve, showing him all of its faults and flaws and all of the reasons why he shouldn’t love it – and Steve had loved it anyways.

Danny had given him more than just his life. He’d given him his heart. Steve didn’t know quite what he was feeling at that particular moment, dazed and exhausted and extremely satisfied, but as Danny pulled out gently and he felt himself become cold from the loss, craving Danny’s arms more than water or a shower or even sleep, he realized that it didn’t matter than he couldn’t neatly define whatever the fuck he felt. Danny didn’t need a written letter. All Danny seemed to need was what he’d always gotten from Steve: simply, Steve.

 

**** 

 

Danny woke up blanketed by four hot, heavy limbs. He shouldn’t have been surprised that Steve was into post-sex cuddling in a big way, but it amused him to see that he also sleep-cuddled, and was now wrapped around him like a limpet, brown limbs perfectly smooth and naked and so incredibly beautiful that Danny thought he might still have been asleep and was dreaming.

Speaking of dreams …

It couldn’t have been more than a few hours since they’d fallen asleep, he thought, glancing at the light creeping through the shutters. It was still a soft, sleepy blue – past dawn, but before nine. Danny had expected to be awake at this time, but not like this. Certainly not feeling this warm and content and comfortably sleepy.

His throat still hurt, a lot, and so did his neck, back, and shoulders from trying to resist the multiple drownings. His chest was bruised from the rim of the trough, and his stomach and ribs were sore from the beating he’d taken in the van.

He’d expected all of that. It wasn’t a huge step up from what he’d taken before, back in Jersey. But he’d been expecting to wake up blind, panicked, in a cold sweat, hearing the water bubble in his ears and the sound of his own heartbeat speeding up and then stopping.

He’d been expecting to drown again, in his sleep.

He tilted his head sideways, feeling exhaustion tugging his eyelids back down, but wanting to look at Steve again before he passed out. Their heads were close together, sharing the same pillow. Steve was sprawled all over Danny, one arm curled possessively around his waist, and Danny loved that. His face was smooth, untroubled, his mouth slightly open. He was exhausted, too. Danny could have spent an age just watching Steve sleeping, studying his face, memorizing the curve of his lips and how utterly beautiful he looked – how had Danny never been struck by this before? How had he never become speechless mid-argument?

Steve mumbled a little and kicked, and Danny winced as his foot connected with his shin.

Yeah, Steve was way too annoying for Danny to be distracted in the middle of one of his insane plans, no matter how attractive he was. He fell asleep still smiling ruefully.

 

When he woke up again, it was at more or less the same time as Steve. Opening his eyes to see Steve blinking sleepily back at him caused Danny such a stab of affection in his heart that for a moment he thought he was genuinely in physical pain.

‘Hey,’ Steve mumbled, not fully conscious. ‘You ok?’

Danny nodded, rubbing his nose a little off Steve’s and watching him smile, eyes still closed, delighted.

‘I’m fine babe,’ he said softly. ‘How are you?’

Steve paused, shifted his weight about a bit, and winched.

‘Sore,’ he admitted, cracking one eye open, embarrassed. Danny nodded, stroking his arm a little under the covers.

‘That’s alright, that’s normal,’ he said, letting his gaze wander over Steve’s perfect features, looking relaxed again. ‘I presume you enjoyed yourself?’

Steve laughed a little. ‘Just a little,’ he teased, pushing at Danny a little, then pulling him closer. ‘Kind of a revelation.’

‘How so?’

Steve paused, thinking, then said ‘Remember when you couldn’t text properly on your phone because your fingers kept hitting the wrong buttons, and I told you to turn it sideways and then you could text just fine? Kind of like that.’

‘Wow,’ said Danny sarcastically. ‘I’m a little overwhelmed Steve, I think I’m gonna tear up, man.’

‘Shut up,’ muttered Steve, looking a little self-conscious. Danny squeezed him reassuringly.

‘Hey, guess what though,’ he said. ‘We, uh, might have to start doing this sleeping together thing a bit more regularly, because apparently sleeping with what can only be described as drunken octopus is actually good for my mental health.’

'Hey, I like to move and shake in my sleep,' Steve said defensively, but he was grinning. ‘You mean you didn’t have any nightmares?’ he asked, looking pleased. Danny shook his head, mouth twitching.

‘Not one, babe,’ he replied, shifting closer to kiss him. Their lips met, and Danny felt like he would willingly drown a hundred times a day, every day, for the rest of his life, if could wake up like this afterwards.

‘We’re good together,’ he murmured, pressed so close to Steve he could hardly tell which limbs were his. ‘You’ve gotta admit, babe, we’re a pretty good match.’

Steve said nothing, but kissed Danny again for being a know-it-all. Danny was perfectly ok with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel kind of like a cheat when I write a lot of McDanno because it's so embarrassingly canon. Which means nearly all songs give me massive otp feels, but here are the standouts that inspired this fic: 'Miracle', by Hurts, 'Erase Me' by Kid Cudi, and 'Here in Your Arms' by HelloGoodbye (idk)
> 
> Credit as always to my hella cute brain-twin beta Autumn. I'm over on tumblr and twitter


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